Spoofs spark government limits on short film Web broadcasts

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BEIJING — China will regulate video on the Internet following a surge in satirical items in which real film clips are remade into mocking send-ups.

Video spoofs have become so popular that Chinese have even coined a new slang term, "egao," to describe the act.

Beginning in late August or September, only authorized Web sites such as Sina.com, Sohu.com and Netease.com will be allowed to show short films, the official Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday, citing an announcement by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

A recent example of the trend, it said, was a 10-minute satire of a 1974 propaganda film called "Sparkling Red Star," which chronicles the struggles of a brave child soldier who fights feudalists and Japanese invaders in revolutionary-era China.

The satire uses the original clips to tell the story of an aspiring pop star competing in a television singing contest.

Among other recent spoofs was a 20-minute short titled "The Bloody Case of the Steamed Bun," using clips from director Chen Kaige's elaborate costume drama "The Promise."

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